Abuse of Magic Mushroom, Peyote Cactus, LSD, Khat, and Volatiles
Critical Issues in Alcohol and Drugs of Abuse Testing January 1, 2019 A. Dasgupta 20 citations
Abuse of hallucinogens such as magic mushroom, peyote cactus, LSD, khat, and volatile substances occurs in the United States, though less commonly than marijuana or cocaine. Eating wild mushrooms is dangerous because misidentifying toxic mushrooms as magic mushrooms can be fatal. Magic mushroom's psychedelic action comes from psilocybin converting to psilocin after ingestion; peyote's active ingredient is mescaline. LSD abuse, widespread in the 1960s, continues today. Khat leaves, chewed in parts of Africa and now abused in Europe and the US, contain cathinone, which is structurally and functionally similar to amphetamine. Volatile abuse, common among young people, involves toluene and hydrocarbons and is injurious to health, sometimes causing death.